This Borrowed Soul

The Hunt

The academy is quiet at night.

Too quiet.

I lie awake in my bed, staring at the ceiling.

Mira is asleep across the room.

Her breathing is slow and steady.

I envy her.

Not the sleep.

The peace.

I close my eyes.

The hunger is worse tonight.

It has settled deep inside me, crawling beneath my skin like a living thing.

I clench my fists.

I can hear everything.

The wind brushing against the windows.

The distant footsteps of a student somewhere in the corridor.

Mira’s heartbeat.

Thump.

Thump.

Thump.

I turn my head toward her.

My eyes settle on her sleeping form.

For a moment, I consider it.

No.

I look away.

She has been kind to me.

Besides, I don’t want her.

I need someone else.

Someone who deserves it.

A memory flashes through my mind.

Seraphina.

Her smile.

The pastry.

The way she had laughed.

The way she had looked at me like I was beneath her.

My lips curve upward.

Perfect.

I get out of bed.

I dress quietly and slip out of the room.

The corridor is dark.

I move silently through the academy, following the faint pull of the hunger.

The moment I step outside, cold air hits my face.

The forest stretches beyond the academy grounds.

Dark.

Endless.

Alive.

I take a deep breath.

The scent of blood is everywhere.

My hunger sharpens.

Then I see someone.

A figure slipping between the trees near the boys’ hostel.

I stop.

Blonde hair.

Seraphina.

My smile returns.

Interesting.

What are you doing out here?

I follow her.

She moves quickly, looking over her shoulder every few seconds.

She doesn’t notice me.

Good.

She stops near the edge of the forest.

I remain hidden behind a tree.

She seems nervous.

Almost frightened.

That’s different from the girl I saw earlier.

She checks her surroundings again.

Then turns toward the forest.

I step out.

“Going somewhere?”

She spins around.

Her eyes widen.

“Blue?”

I smile.

“Out for a walk.”

“At this hour?”

I shrug.

“You’re one to talk.”

Her expression hardens.

“Mind your business.”

I step closer.

“I could say the same thing.”

She scoffs.

“You think you’re special because you’re the first human they’ve let in?”

“No.”

“Then why are you following me?”

“I wasn’t.”

She narrows her eyes.

Neither of us speaks.

Then I feel it.

Her heartbeat.

Her blood.

Her soul.

Everything inside me goes still.

The hunger roars.

Seraphina takes a step backward.

“Blue?”

I smile.

“I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

I don’t answer.

I move.

She barely has time to react.

My hand catches her wrist.

Her eyes flash.

She tries to pull away.

But I’m stronger.

Much stronger.

Her expression changes.

Fear.

Real fear.

And for the first time tonight, I feel satisfied.

“You shouldn’t have given me that pastry.”

“What?”

I lean closer.

“You shouldn’t have laughed.”

Her eyes widen.

Then I feed.

The world becomes quiet.

Warmth rushes through me.

The hunger that had been clawing at my insides finally begins to fade.

I close my eyes.

Yes.

That’s better.

So much better.

Seraphina’s body goes limp.

I catch her before she hits the ground.

She is still breathing.

Barely conscious.

I look down at her.

Revenge tastes surprisingly sweet.

But there is something else I want.

Her memories.

I place my fingers against her temple.

Her soul is still close.

Bright.

Frightened.

Confused.

I reach for it.

Memories flash through my mind.

The academy.

Her family.

Her friends.

Her ambitions.

Her hatred of humans.

Her secrets.

I take what I need.

Then I find tonight.

Me.

The forest.

The feeding.

I pull the memory free.

It dissolves between my fingers.

Gone.

Seraphina will remember leaving the academy.

She will remember coming into the forest.

But she won’t remember me.

She won’t remember what happened here.

She won’t remember being afraid.

Perfect.

I release her.

She collapses softly onto the forest floor.

I crouch beside her and check her breathing.

Alive.

She’ll wake eventually.

I brush a strand of blonde hair away from her face.

“Sleep well, Queen.”

I stand.

The hunger is gone.

For the first time since arriving at the academy, I feel completely satisfied.

I take a deep breath.

The forest smells different now.

Sharper.

Clearer.

I turn toward the academy.

Then I hear it.

A sound.

I freeze.

It comes from deep within the forest.

A low, distant sound.

Not an animal.

Not exactly.

My eyes narrow.

There it is again.

A faint rustling.

Then something that sounds almost like a whisper.

I look at Seraphina.

Then toward the darkness.

Every sensible part of me tells me to go back.

I ignore it.

Curiosity has always been one of my more dangerous qualities.

I step forward.

The trees seem to grow closer together as I move deeper into the forest.

Moonlight disappears beneath the canopy.

I can barely see.

But I don’t need to.

I can hear.

Something is moving ahead.

Slowly.

Waiting.

I follow the sound.

One step.

Then another.

The forest becomes darker.

Quieter.

Until even the sounds of the academy disappear behind me.

I stop.

The sound comes again.

Closer this time.

My heartbeat quickens.

Not from fear.

Excitement.

Whatever is out there…

It knows I’m here.

And somehow, I know it isn’t afraid of me.

I smile.

“Come out.”

Nothing.

I take another step.

The darkness shifts.

Something moves between the trees.

I stop breathing.

Two eyes open in the distance.

Watching me.

And for the first time since I awakened in Blue’s body…

I wonder if I am the hunter

or the prey.